PUHI — Train days are not heavily advertised events, but they do allow Grove Farm Homestead Museum engineer Scott Johnson an opportunity to do one of the things he enjoys most — firing up the vintage locomotives.
On the most recent train day, keiki from Kahili Adventist School were beneficiaries of a train ride in the specially-crafted rail-cars that were powered by the locomotive Kaipu, with Johnson at the stick.
Tucked away in the locomotive shed were new arrivals — a pair of yellow locomotives that barely resembled the vintage black models that keiki and visitors recognize.
Johnson explained that the two locomotives are salt locomotives that belong to Hawaiian Steam Engineering and are “on loan” to the Grove Farm Homestead Museum to help develop the “mill site” railway system.
“They’re workhorses,” Johnson said. “No. 65, identified by the numeral painted on its backside, was hitched up to two of our locomotives, and it moved it up and down the Puhi track with no strain.
“The locomotives are rated at five tons,” Johnson said, “but, weighed in at 6.5 tons. They’re capable of hauling up to 100 tons.”
Manufactured in Brooksville, Fla., the locomotives made their way to Kaua‘i after their last “employer” decided they would be replaced, Johnson explained.
Additionally, Johnson said the stick on the salt locomotive is more like the joystick used by electronic-game aficionados, and is different from the ones utilized in the vintage engines. This led Johnson to relate how his daughter was able to steer the new arrival better than he could, the 8-year-old being familiar with game joysticks.
A neighbor who grew up in the rail-yards who lived next door could not bear the thought of the locomotives being discarded, and bought six of them.
But, where do you store six locomotives? The problem of too many engines and not enough space prompted the new owner to put them up for sale on eBay, where a friend of Johnson’s discovered them and brought them to his attention.
Johnson brought them to the attention of museum officials, who decided the time was not right to get more locomotives.
But, six months later, Johnson got another call, with the caller informing him that the locomotives were reduced to half the amount originally asked for. This is when leaders at Hawaiian Steam Engineering stepped in and acquired the pair of locomotives in order to preserve them.
Dennis Fujimoto, staff writer and photographer, may be reached at 245-3681 (ext. 253) or dfujimoto@pulitzer.net.
